Cycling Over Sixty

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Host Tom Butler opens the episode with a reflection on this year's Seattle to Portland ride. It was made special by finishing in Portland with his daughter. He then introduces Sue Nicholson, a woman he considers a mentor. Sue came to cycling late, working her way in through mountaineering and kayaking before finding the sport in her 70s.
 
 Tom and Sue get into her path from that first ride to bike-packing in her 70s, what it means to train differently as a woman after menopause, and the diabetes education work that put her in communities across Eastern Washington, including tribal communities. They close by talking about the future of bicycle clubs.

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Become a member of the Cycling Over Sixty Strava Club!  www.strava.com/clubs/CyclingOverSixty

Cycling Over Sixty is also on Zwift.  Look for our Zwift club!

NOTE: I share information about my journey. From time to time that means sharing what I do to stay healthy.  None of what I share is meant to be medical advice. Always consult with your physician or other health professionals before making changes. 

Please send comments, questions and especially content suggestions to me at [email protected]

Follow and comment on Cycling Over Sixty on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cyclingoversixty/

Show music is "Come On Out" by Dan Lebowitz.  Find him here : lebomusic.com

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Host Tom Butler opens with the report he promised on his new Otso Warakin TI: a first long ride that turned into a navigation disaster but still delivered an encouraging first real test of the bike. He gets into what went wrong trying to find the trail, and what went right once the bike was moving, smooth on the gravel descents and surprisingly planted at thirty miles an hour on the road, on gravel tires. He also flags a knee that flared up and the setup questions he wants to solve before the next big ride.

From there, Tom shares something he's now convinced is real: his recovery is improving. After a long stretch of severely limiting carbs and eating no meat, he added meat back and started supplementing creatine, and his legs began bouncing back faster from hard efforts. He walks through the leucine and creatine science behind why that might be, why it may matter more with age, and an important reminder that he's experimenting on himself, not prescribing, and that any change like this belongs in a conversation with your own physician first.

Then Tom sits down with Dr. Gary McCall, a professor of exercise science at the University of Puget Sound who studies what physical activity does inside the body, and what happens when it goes away. It's the ideal follow-up to Tom's own muscle speculation. The two dig into the exercise-is-medicine idea at the heart of the show, the surprising place where the biggest health gains live, and how much of what we write off as aging may really be inactivity. Gary is a cyclist himself, so this is someone who knows both the science and the road.

Become a member of the Cycling Over Sixty Strava Club!  www.strava.com/clubs/CyclingOverSixty

Cycling Over Sixty is also on Zwift.  Look for our Zwift club!

NOTE: I share information about my journey. From time to time that means sharing what I do to stay healthy.  None of what I share is meant to be medical advice. Always consult with your physician or other health professionals before making changes. 

Please send comments, questions and especially content suggestions to me at [email protected]

Follow and comment on Cycling Over Sixty on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cyclingoversixty/

Show music is "Come On Out" by Dan Lebowitz.  Find him here : lebomusic.com

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In this short solo episode, host Tom Butler walks through the build of his newest bike: the Otso Warakin TI, a titanium gravel bike spec'd to be a true do-everything machine. This isn't a review. With only a handful of miles on the bike so far, it's an honest look at the decisions Tom made and why, the ones he feels confident about and the ones he'll have to wait and see on.

Tom gets into why he wanted a third bike in the first place, why he chose titanium over carbon, steel, and aluminum, and how a walk into Northwest Tri and Bike in Enumclaw short-circuited his careful shopping plan. Along the way he covers the Wolf Tooth roots of Otso, the carbon fork, the wheels, the Redshift shock stem, 50mm Schwalbe tires, the oval chainring, the 1x12 drivetrain, and the Shimano GRX 800 groupset. He also shares some fresh news that took a little wind out of his sails: Otso has discontinued the Warakin's Tuning Chip system in favor of UDH compatibility. It's a build episode for the bike nerds, grounded in the idea that the right bike is the one that doesn't limit where you can ride.

Become a member of the Cycling Over Sixty Strava Club!  www.strava.com/clubs/CyclingOverSixty

Cycling Over Sixty is also on Zwift.  Look for our Zwift club!

NOTE: I share information about my journey. From time to time that means sharing what I do to stay healthy.  None of what I share is meant to be medical advice. Always consult with your physician or other health professionals before making changes. 

Please send comments, questions and especially content suggestions to me at [email protected]

Follow and comment on Cycling Over Sixty on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cyclingoversixty/

Show music is "Come On Out" by Dan Lebowitz.  Find him here : lebomusic.com

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Host Tom Butler shares a rundown of where Cycling Over Sixty stands today and how much the show has grown since its beginnings. As part of that update, Tom introduces the Cycling for Active Aging Network, a Pierce County partnership designed to reach adults over 55 who are physically inactive by adapting existing cycling programs to be more welcoming to older adults who are sedentary and maybe have never thought of themselves as cyclists.

Then Tom has a conversation with Mark Altman, a military veteran preparing to ride 3,000 miles from Edinburgh to Athens on a recumbent bike with his service dog Juno along for the journey. Mark is using the ride to raise money for the Wounded Warrior Project through a Virtual Soldier Ride. It's a conversation about what long days in the saddle can do for a person, and about why, at 61, Mark is choosing to take on something this big.

Link to Juno's Odyssey Facebook: facebook.com/search/top?q=juno%27s%20odyssey

Become a member of the Cycling Over Sixty Strava Club!  www.strava.com/clubs/CyclingOverSixty

Cycling Over Sixty is also on Zwift.  Look for our Zwift club!

NOTE: I share information about my journey. From time to time that means sharing what I do to stay healthy.  None of what I share is meant to be medical advice. Always consult with your physician or other health professionals before making changes. 

Please send comments, questions and especially content suggestions to me at [email protected]

Follow and comment on Cycling Over Sixty on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cyclingoversixty/

Show music is "Come On Out" by Dan Lebowitz.  Find him here : lebomusic.com

Send Me a Text Message

Host Tom Butler opens with a look at what's pushing him to get out on the bike more lately, including a recent lab report that didn't go the way he wanted. It's the kind of moment that can either derail a fitness journey or fuel it, and Tom is honest about how he's choosing to use it.

Then Tom welcomes Julie Donnelly, author of The Pain Free Athlete and a practitioner who has spent her career helping people get free of the pain that quietly derails so many active lives. Julie's approach is built on a powerful idea. She believes people can be taught to treat themselves, and in this conversation she shares what that looks like in practice. It's a great discussion for anyone who wants to keep cycling, and keep moving, for the long haul.

Become a member of the Cycling Over Sixty Strava Club!  www.strava.com/clubs/CyclingOverSixty

Cycling Over Sixty is also on Zwift.  Look for our Zwift club!

NOTE: I share information about my journey. From time to time that means sharing what I do to stay healthy.  None of what I share is meant to be medical advice. Always consult with your physician or other health professionals before making changes. 

Please send comments, questions and especially content suggestions to me at [email protected]

Follow and comment on Cycling Over Sixty on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cyclingoversixty/

Show music is "Come On Out" by Dan Lebowitz.  Find him here : lebomusic.com

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 Can a simple change in chainring shape unlock more pedaling power? Tom Butler put oval chainrings on two bikes to find out. He also explores the value that bike clubs bring to a community — and suggests it might be bigger than many people think. Then Tom is joined by Dr. Kevin Smith, the clinician behind metabolicsolutions.net and the Chronic Conditions Center in Bethel Park, PA. Dr. Smith brings his knowledge of functional medicine to the podcast, helping listeners understand a more comprehensive view of health. 

LINK

Free Health Quiz: metabolicsolutions.net/metabolic-scorecard/

Become a member of the Cycling Over Sixty Strava Club!  www.strava.com/clubs/CyclingOverSixty

Cycling Over Sixty is also on Zwift.  Look for our Zwift club!

NOTE: I share information about my journey. From time to time that means sharing what I do to stay healthy.  None of what I share is meant to be medical advice. Always consult with your physician or other health professionals before making changes. 

Please send comments, questions and especially content suggestions to me at [email protected]

Follow and comment on Cycling Over Sixty on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cyclingoversixty/

Show music is "Come On Out" by Dan Lebowitz.  Find him here : lebomusic.com

Send Me a Text Message

Host Tom Butler continues to be real about his own fitness journey and just how common his experience really is. He also dives into the most concrete expression yet of an idea at the heart of the show: the bicycle as a medical device, spotlighting the Exercise is Medicine® initiative from the American College of Sports Medicine, which is working to make physical activity a standard part of clinical care.

Then Tom sits down with Stanley Bronstein, who shares a remarkable personal story of transformation through fitness and the hard-won philosophy he calls The Way of Excellence, his distillation of the principles that lead to lasting success. Stanley's story is one of consistency in a world that doesn't always make it easy to stay committed to an active life.

LINK

Stanley's Philosophy: thewayofexcellence.com

Become a member of the Cycling Over Sixty Strava Club!  www.strava.com/clubs/CyclingOverSixty

Cycling Over Sixty is also on Zwift.  Look for our Zwift club!

NOTE: I share information about my journey. From time to time that means sharing what I do to stay healthy.  None of what I share is meant to be medical advice. Always consult with your physician or other health professionals before making changes. 

Please send comments, questions and especially content suggestions to me at [email protected]

Follow and comment on Cycling Over Sixty on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cyclingoversixty/

Show music is "Come On Out" by Dan Lebowitz.  Find him here : lebomusic.com

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A new FTP is cause for celebration — especially when it proves that getting fitter after sixty isn't just possible, it's happening. Tom Butler shares his latest benchmark and what it means for anyone who thinks their best fitness days are behind them.

Then, Tom sits down with Beverly Meyer, host of the Primal Diet - Modern Health podcast and a seasoned Clinical Nutritionist and Functional Health Expert. Beverly offers a refreshing lens on what it truly means to be healthy, explaining the functional health approach and why it looks beyond symptoms to uncover root causes. At the heart of the conversation is a deceptively simple idea: Eat Like a Human Being. Beverly unpacks what that means in practice and why it may be one of the most powerful things you can do for your long-term health and vitality.

Whether you're chasing watts or just trying to feel better in your daily life, this episode delivers both inspiration and practical wisdom.

LINKS

Tour de Cure Routes: ridewithgps.com/events/455983-2026-pnw-tour-de-cure

Beverly's Podcast: ondietandhealth.com/resources/

Beverly's Website: ondietandhealth.com

Become a member of the Cycling Over Sixty Strava Club!  www.strava.com/clubs/CyclingOverSixty

Cycling Over Sixty is also on Zwift.  Look for our Zwift club!

NOTE: I share information about my journey. From time to time that means sharing what I do to stay healthy.  None of what I share is meant to be medical advice. Always consult with your physician or other health professionals before making changes. 

Please send comments, questions and especially content suggestions to me at [email protected]

Follow and comment on Cycling Over Sixty on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cyclingoversixty/

Show music is "Come On Out" by Dan Lebowitz.  Find him here : lebomusic.com

Send Me a Text Message

In this episode of Cycling Over Sixty, host Tom Butler shares how a busy schedule and travel are throwing his cycling routine off track. Despite the challenges he is looking at this as an opportunity to learn how busy people can fit in rides. Tom also has exciting news—he reveals a new Cycling Over Sixty project that's currently in development.

Tom is joined by Peter Illés from Wired Donkey Tours, who shares the unique cycling tours he organizes. Peter's approach is all about creating authentic, small group experiences that give tour guests a genuine connection to the places they visit. His passion for intimate, meaningful travel shines through as he discusses what sets his tours apart from typical cycling vacations.

If you're interested in discovering unique ways to see the world on two wheels and want to hear from someone who's redefining the cycling tour experience, this episode is for you.

Links

Wire Donkey Website: wiredonkeytours.com

Wire Donkey Instagram: instagram.com/wiredonkeytours/

Become a member of the Cycling Over Sixty Strava Club!  www.strava.com/clubs/CyclingOverSixty

Cycling Over Sixty is also on Zwift.  Look for our Zwift club!

NOTE: I share information about my journey. From time to time that means sharing what I do to stay healthy.  None of what I share is meant to be medical advice. Always consult with your physician or other health professionals before making changes. 

Please send comments, questions and especially content suggestions to me at [email protected]

Follow and comment on Cycling Over Sixty on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cyclingoversixty/

Show music is "Come On Out" by Dan Lebowitz.  Find him here : lebomusic.com

Send Me a Text Message

As we close out an incredible year of cycling, host Tom Butler reflects on the highlights and challenges of 2025. Tom shares how he measured up against the goals he set at the start of the year and reveals his new targets for 2026.

In this episode, Tom welcomes Patrick McCabe, owner of Grit City Health in Tacoma, Washington, and a Cyclocross racing advocate. Patrick brings his expertise as both a personal trainer and Cyclocross coach to revisit the AI-generated training advice discussed in a recent episode. His perspective offers a compelling contrast to the algorithmic approach, demonstrating why personalized coaching and human expertise remain irreplaceable when it comes to training effectively—especially for cyclists over sixty.

Whether you're setting your own cycling goals for the new year or considering how to approach your training in 2026, this episode delivers valuable insights and inspiration to keep you motivated and moving forward.

Become a member of the Cycling Over Sixty Strava Club!  www.strava.com/clubs/CyclingOverSixty

Cycling Over Sixty is also on Zwift.  Look for our Zwift club!

NOTE: I share information about my journey. From time to time that means sharing what I do to stay healthy.  None of what I share is meant to be medical advice. Always consult with your physician or other health professionals before making changes. 

Please send comments, questions and especially content suggestions to me at [email protected]

Follow and comment on Cycling Over Sixty on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cyclingoversixty/

Show music is "Come On Out" by Dan Lebowitz.  Find him here : lebomusic.com